Main menu

About us

Welcome to The Electronic Money Association (EMA)

We are the trade body for electronic money issuers and innovative payment service providers including payment institutions, banks and payment schemes. We provide members with a forum to share issues that impact new means of payment, and provide a means for pursuing these to resolution. We have been involved in the negotiation of a number of payment-related European Directives, regulations and implementing legislation. We develop industry good practice in areas of compliance, customer service and enable the sharing of know-how.

We have provided a voice for the industry with government, public bodies, businesses and consumer groups. The EMA has been privy to the evolution of innovative payments from small niche offerings to a growing sector that is offering alternatives for payments to consumers and businesses alike.

EMA structure

The Electronic Money Association meets and takes its decisions in plenary. All members have equal say in discussions, in the activities of the association and in the decision-making process. A number of subcommittees meet to address specialist issues, and report their findings into the plenary sessions. Day to day activities are undertaken by the secretariat, which is appointed by members.

Committees

There are currently three standing subcommittees, one dealing with anti money laundering and counter terrorist financing (money laundering subcommittee), one with fraud (fraud subcommittee) and the third with IT systems and security (IT sec subcommittee). The committees meet bimonthly, and are attended by practitioners from member organisations. Both the money laundering and fraud subcommittees also develop typologies and have been sharing information in these areas since their inception. The IT sec subcommittee is more recent and is borne from the maturing IT security threats that benefit from shared resources and collaboration.

Working groups

The EMA forms working groups to deal with particular short term projects and issues that arise. Working groups also report their findings and recommendations to the plenary meeting.

Officers

The association elects its officers annually, a chairman who presides over meetings, a chief executive who is responsible for the business of the association and a minutes secretary.

Chief executive – Dr Thaer Sabri

Thaer has more than 15 years’ experience in the electronic money industry, in a regulatory capacity as well as in product management and business development. Thaer began his payments career at the prepaid card scheme Mondex International and then at the internet startup beenz.com before founding Flawless Money in 2001. He is chief executive of the Electronic Money Association, and leads industry regulatory interface with governments and public institutions. Thaer attended Sheffield University, Imperial College (University of London) and Birkbeck College (University of London) and is a solicitor in England and Wales. He now practises as a consultant.

Forthcoming EMA meetings

Since April 2014 we have been holding the monthly EMA meetings at our office in Surbiton. We usually start the subcommittee meeting at 11.30 and the main meeting at 1pm. Our office is easy to reach: Surbiton is 15-20 minutes on the main line from Waterloo, and we are less than five minutes’ walk from the station. The office is also next to a large Waitrose, and Surbiton has more coffee shops within 500m of the station than anywhere else in London.